The Way Things Fall
by Warmal
Summary: After a month of romance between Lilo and Stitch, a battle takes place. Lilo falls from a cliff, putting her in a coma. Stitch and her family have to deal with the thought that she won't wake up, while she is completely aware of her state and unable to do anything about it. Everything was going so good, why did this happen?
1. Chapter 1

The island never looked so dark. For a place that could hold so much beauty, Lilo was amazed that it could fill her with so much fear. It wasn't a darkness of night, but a darkness of feel. Everything seemed much greyer. All the colour seemed to fade as time passed. Perhaps it wasn't actually the world that was losing itself, though. Maybe it was her.

Lilo's hands were incredibly numb. The Longer she held on, the less she was able to feel her fingers. Letting go was not an option, however. She looked down to see rocks jutting dangerously out at the bottom of the cliff face. Cold, salty water battered the side of the cliff, as if wishing to claim her into its black endless depths. The longer Lilo held on, the more she wished it wouldn't have ended up like this. _I can't believe this is how I die. After all I've been through. After all that's happened, this is the outcome? _Trying to tighten her grip and get some sort of footing, she looked up. Staring down at her was the little blue experiment she had come to love. His eyes, like dark pools, showed sadness as he wished to come to her rescue.

"No Stitch!" Lilo called up to him. "I'll be okay. You need to go save the others."

Stitch looked at her. He could tell she needed him. But he knew she was right. Nani, Pleakley, Jumba, and the others were trapped. If he didn't get to them now than they were surely to be killed. He looked deeply into her chocolate brown eyes. Just a few hours ago they had held so much joy and love. He could still see the love in them. The love he knew she held for him. Love that could conquer anything, even death. If he had any hope to save her from falling down the cliff he needed to hurry. She could hold on, everyone else could not.

Lilo saw that he understood what needed to be done. She feared that she would never get to see the ocean blue fur that she loved so much. Never feel the warmth and strength of his arms around her. What pained her heart the most, was that she might never feel her lips on his again. Showing her love for him, the best way that she knew how. The eyes that she would lose herself in for days still held all the love in the world for her, but she also saw the sadness take hold. _I know he doesn't want to leave me. _She knew he had to. No matter how important she was, she couldn't let down her family. She would hold on for as long as she could. Just to make sure everyone she loved, especially Stitch, would be safe. _If he comes down to save me, everyone else will die._ Her vision became blurry as tears began to stain her cheeks.

Stitch saw her begin to cry. It tore at his heart to see her like that. No matter how much he knew he needed to turn away, he couldn't. _I just need to see her a little more._ Something inside him told him to take in as much of her as he could. One more time he lost himself in her eyes. Watched as her raven black hair blew in the ever increasing wind. Everything about her, even now, caused his heart to flutter.

"Meega can't leave you!" His voice was cracking.

"I know. I don't want you to. No one else can save them, though. I will be here. I can hold on."

"Youga promise?"

There was a moment of hesitation. Stitch's eyes began to swell with tears. Something told him, again, that this was not going to end as happily as he hoped. The entire day seemed to be so painful. This was the moment though. This moment is what will change his life forever. To save the love of his life, or save the family that the two of them loved so much. Time continued, time that was being wasted.

"I promise. We're ohana right?"

"Ih. Ohana means family." His tears began to sting, she was too far to reach in time to save the others after.

"Family means nobody gets left behind." Lilo knew. This was it.

"Or forgotten."

"I love you, Stitch." Lilo yelled. She could feel her grip slipping, but she didn't want Stitch to see. She needed to know her family was going to be okay.

"I love you too, Lilo." Stitch stood up from the cliff side, feeling the pain from the wound on his leg. He took in Lilo's beauty one more time before he went to rescue everyone else.

"Thank you." Lilo's thanks fell on deaf ears though. The wind had grown stronger. Anything she said now would go unheard. Lilo saw the love of her life get up and turn away. It hurt her immensely to see his back turn to her. _It's for the best. The others will be safe. I can hold on a little longer._ She was lying to herself, and she knew it. She tried her best, but as she lost feeling in her hands, she could tell she wouldn't be staying there for long. Stitch vanished from her sight. Her heart tore. Suddenly, her grip slipped.

Lilo could feel the cold air sting her skin as she fell. She no longer feared her fate. As far as she was concerned, her fate was now sealed. The fate of those she loved was not. She began to say good-bye to everyone she loved.

"Good-bye Pleakley, …

Jumba …

Angel …

Victoria …

Nani….

Good-bye, Stitch. I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise."

As she thought of Stitch, she thought about everything they went through together. From the time they first met, to Stitch's glitch, to capturing all the cousins, to the time that Stitch left. She thought that that would be the saddest day of her life, but it wasn't. She thought the day he returned would be the happiest day of her life, but it wasn't. The happiest day of her life turned out to be the day she confessed her feelings for Stitch. The embrace and kiss they shared that day felt like no other. She was almost able to feel herself melt into his arms. His lips set her on fire, the only thing that mattered was that they had each other. Her life changed forever in that moment, and she wouldn't take it back for the world. As it turned out, the saddest day of her life was this day. The day she would reluctantly leave Stitch and her family for good. She didn't want it to end this way, but it seemed like the earth was about to claim her.

As quickly as she fell, she felt the darkness surround her. _Am I dead? _She didn't know the answer. No one was around to give her an answer either. All she could see was darkness, and all she could feel was peace. Inside the darkness she could hear something. Something far off in the distance. It sounded familiar. It sounded like Stitch.

"Wake Up. Please wake up."

_I'm asleep? Then I'm not dead! But, why can't I wake up? _She tried. She tried harder to wake up than she ever tried in her worst nightmares. Nothing she did worked.

Lilo was stuck in a sleep from which she could not wake. Stitch watched over her. Never wanting to leave her side. Everything was going so well, and to think about a month ago everything was still what they considered "normal."


	2. Chapter 2: One Month Earlier

**One month earlier**

Lilo and Stitch we're making their usual rounds, checking to make sure all the experiments on the island we're accounted for and safe. Every month they would do this, if not more often. After the Leroy attack the previous year, the Grand Councilwoman made it a part of Lilo's ambassador duties to make sure that each and every experiment stayed safe and accounted for. Lilo and Stitch were happy to comply of course, the experiments were ohana, and so none of them would ever be left behind or forgotten.

Seeing Lidds, Daze, and Catalyst off in the distance, Lilo checked off the final three boxes on her digital list. She closed the round, red device just as the Grand Councilwoman's face appeared on the front screen.

"Ah, Ambassador Pelekai. I assume everything is in order?"

"Yes. We actually just finished. All of the experiments on Kaua'i are accounted for. The same goes for the ones on the island Yin and Yang had made. I trust you were able to get in contact with Pleakley's planet. Mr. Stenchy and Mrs. Sickly are okay as well?"

"Indeed. Experiment 254 and 255 are perfectly safe and sound. However, I do not imagine anyone targeting them. The…aroma they create seems to be weakening, after that they will be harmless."

"As long as no one steals them for their cuteness." Lilo said with a giggle.

"Heh, yes, we will continue watching over them as well."

Stitch moved closer to Lilo so he could also be seen, practically pressed right up against her. "Takka. For everything youga do for us."

"You are most welcome, 62- Stitch." It was a hard change, but she always tried her best to address Stitch by name, rather than by number, as he requested after the battle.

The two smiled as they bade their farewells, both parties reassuring each other that they would get in contact immediately if anything were to come up. Lilo and Stitch stood there for a moment, letting the feeling of being down their official jobs pass over them. After the moment had passed, the two noticed how close they were and began to blush. Stitch stepped away, quickly. _Where are these feelings coming from? Why can't I get close to her without feeling… what is this feeling? _Stitch shook his head and looked at his friend, he saw that her usual tan face had also turned slightly red, making Stitch's heart flutter.

Lilo turned away and brought her hands up to her face, feeling the warmth. _What was that? Why am I blushing?_ Taking a deep breath, she turned back to her friend, noticing that she didn't feel flushed anymore, but seeing his eyes so intent on her brought a feeling she couldn't describe to her stomach. Instead of dwelling on it though, she just smiled, and he smiled in return. Letting the awkwardness pass the two started walking, in no direction in particular.

"So, Stitch," Lilo began, "we finished up a lot more quickly this time, didn't we?"

"Ih. Feels good."

"Yeah, it does. It's barely past noon, I'm still full from that meal Frenchfry made us."

"Meega too." Stitch walked beside Lilo on all fours. Wishing he could stand up, but there were too many tourists around. He promised both the Galactic Council and Cobra Bubbles that he would keep up the guise of a dog until they made it public knowledge of aliens. Until then, he and his cousins would continue to be exotic animals on the island of Kaua'i. "Lots of people."

"You're right, there are a lot of people." Lilo looked around quizzically. Until something caught her attention. Looking up, she saw people hanging heart shaped decorations on the electrical poles. "It's almost Valentine's day!"

Lilo looked down at Stitch with a huge grin. "That's why it's so crowded. The Valentine's day festival is next week."

"Hopefully cousin nagga cause trouble again."

Lilo giggled at his comment. "I'm sure Hunkahunka is too busy with the dating service to cause trouble this year. I suppose we will need to find dates to go then."

The two looked at each other while walking and started to blush again. Neither noticing the others redness, they both looked ahead of them, trying to hide their blushes, but also to weave through the crowd easier. After thinking about it for a few moments, Lilo realized Stitch didn't need to ask anyone.

"So, are you going to go with Angel again this year?"

"Ih. Meega guess. Youga ask Keoni again?"

"If I see him, I suppose I will."

Neither one was very excited about it. The year before they couldn't wait for the festival to come. Lilo had asked Keoni multiple times before the day came. No matter how many times he said 'no' she kept up her persistence. In the end, she didn't get a date, but Angel and Stitch let her go with them. Together, they managed to have a lot of fun. This year, though, Lilo and Stitch just didn't have their heart in it.

_I wonder why I don't feel like asking Keoni, _Lilo had thought, _normally I'd have already asked, but I didn't even think about it. _While Lilo pondered her own feelings on the situation, Stitch was also questioning himself. _Angel… Maybe she doesn't want to go. Maybe she doesn't even know and I don't have to go with her. Why don't I want to go with her?_ The two walked in complete silence, both had a very dreary look to them as they shared an internal clash of emotion.

_I want to go, but not with him. Not with him… _Lilo repeated to herself.

_I want to go, but not with her. Not with her… _Stitch said to himself again and again.

_Then who do I want to go with?_ As they were both thinking about who they wanted to go with, they look at each other, feeling her heart quicken, Lilo was about to say something just as she walked right into someone, knocking them down.

"Whoa." Said the young surfer boy as he fell to the ground. He looked up to see Lilo, standing over him. Lilo was completely embarrassed, covering her mouth with both of her hands. She was utterly speechless. "Hey Lilo, hey little blue dude." Keoni got up and dusted himself off, completely unfazed by the fall.

"I am so sorry, Keoni."

"Oh, it's no problem, Lilo." He said with a smile. "What brings you over here?"

"We were just going for a walk, we didn't really know what to do today. We finished out plans early and I was distracted, and I didn't see you there, and then I knocked you down. Oh my gosh, I'm sorry."

Keoni smiled and laughed, causing Lilo's heart to flutter. "You, uh, said that already."

"Did I?" Lilo could feel her cheeks flush again. _I guess I do still have feelings for him after all. What was that earlier then?_

"You did."

Stitch noticed Lilo blushing from Keoni's actions, stirring up anger inside him. Without thinking, he stepped forward growling at the spikey haired boy. "Bark, bark bark bark. Bark."

Keoni began baking away with his hands brought up and fear on his face. He didn't know Stitch wasn't a dog, but he had been around enough to know just what Stitch was capable of. Before any damage could be done, Lilo quickly grabbed Stitch, holding him back in her arms. "Stitch! What are you doing? Keoni isn't hurting anyone." Stitch suddenly stopped, going limp in Lilo's arms. _What am I doing? _Stitch turned around and looked at the one holding him. She looked worried, but mostly mad. "Stitch, you have been so good this last while, what's going on?"

Stitch couldn't answer, not just because Keoni was there, but he really did not have an answer. He just stared into her chocolate brown eyes and felt his heart begin to race. With his ears dropping, he began clutching at his own hands, frantically looking between her and Keoni who still looked terrified of him.

"Soka." He whispered, just barely enough for Lilo to hear, then wiggled out of her arms and ran.

Lilo couldn't move, she fell to her knees, absolutely stunned. Stitch hadn't run away from her in years. She knew she had to go catch him though, something bad always happened when he ran away. Her mind kept telling her body to move, but it wasn't listening. Eventually, a voice brought her away from her daze.

"Huh?"

"I said, 'are you okay'?"

Lilo turned to see Keoni, kneeled down next to her with his hand on her shoulder. He looked extremely worried, something she didn't see that often. Normally his touch or even if he just talked to her, she would feel butterflies soar in her stomach. Not now, now she only cared that Stitch was okay.

"I need to go after him." Lilo got up, brushing off the dirt from her red muumuu.

"Are you sure? He seems like he might want some time alone."

"No, I know Stitch. He needs me, I'm not going to let him down again."

"Alright. I wanted to ask you something though, is it all right if I stop by later?"

Lilo wasn't paying attention, she was looking around, trying to figure out where Stitch might have gone. "What? Oh, sure. Sorry Keoni, but I really need to hurry." Before the young boy could even reply, Lilo took off in the direction Stitch went. There wasn't a lot of different places he could have gone, but Lilo figured she knew exactly where he would go.

A few minutes later, Stitch was strapped to a cold, steel table. Even through his fur, he felt a shiver from the metals touch. Looking to his side, he could see a needle stuck in his arm. Following the tube that was attached to the needle, he found it led to a fancy machine. Other sensors were attached to his body as well, all leading to the same red machine on the wall. Next to it, was a giant computer monitor. Displayed on the monitor was Stitch's own silhouette flashing, with numbers and calculations he couldn't understand flooding the side. He looked back up at the curved red ceiling and sighed. There were too many times in his life now, where something bad had happened to Lilo because of him. _Because of me… I thought I would be fine now. We have no more experiments to catch. Hamsterviel is in prison, for good. Why? Why did I almost attack that boy?_

Stitch thought back to the moment he became angry. Before he could contemplate just what had caused it, his ears twitched as heavy footsteps approach from his left. He looked over towards the computer again and saw his creator, Jumba Jookiba, approaching him in his lab coat.

"I am being sorry, 626. Nothing is coming back unusual. You are completely sound, no problems in programming, and there is no more glithcing or virus."

"Why meega almost attack Keoni then?"

"I am unable to say. All I am knowing, is that there is nothing wrong with you. Perhaps surfer boy do something to upset you? That is all I am thinking."

Stitch sat up, he could feel all the sensors and needles attached to him tug at his fur and skin as he moved. He looked down at the examination table he was sitting on, feeling sad and guilty.

"Lilo probably hate meega."

Jumba laughed at his creations comment. "Hate you? Ha!" Wiping a tear from one of his four eyes he put a hand on Stitch's back. "Little earth girl could never be hating you."

Stitch looked up at Jumba. "Meega don't mean right now. If meega get worse, like glitch did, she hate me."

Jumba stood silent in understanding. If nothing was wrong with Stitch, then he is acting on his own accord with no excuses. "Even so, I am not thinking little girl could ever hate you. No matter what it is you may be doing."

"Really?" Stitch asked hopefully, still with a look of worry.

"Yes. Sometimes disappointed maybe. But never hate. Little earth girl is loving you, 626."

Love. For some reason that word made Stitch's heart skip a beat. He wasn't sure why, but he knew he needed to make sure that everything was perfectly fine within him. "Can youga do one more check, a full one?"

"Sure, 626. I am going to be putting you to sleep for this time, that way I can be checking absolutely everything."

Stitch nodded as he looked back at the ceiling, waiting for the needle to enter his arm. Feeling the tight pinch, he winced. There was no pain, but he hated needles all the same. Anything that could pierce his near indestructible body concerned him. It was over quick however, and soon, the drug took its toll on his body. He could no longer understand the words Jumba was muttering to himself and the room slowly became fuzzy. He tried to keep his eyes open, but the harder he tried, the heavier his eyelids seemed to get. Slowly the world around him became darkness, as the artificially induced sleep stole him away. Before falling completely out though, visions of Lilo filled his mind. _Lilo._

**Present Day**

"Lilo!" Stitch awoke with a start screaming, looking around frantically as he felt the cold sweat on his forehead. He quickly realized he was in Jumba's lab, like he was only a few weeks ago. Looking down, he saw that he wasn't the one strapped to the examination table. Instead, it was the love of his life.

"Lilo… meega soka." He held onto her hand, determined not to leave her side until she awakened. Seeing her laying on the table with all the sensors and needles attached, pained his heart greater than he could ever imagine. She still wore her red muumuu, slightly tattered and dirty from the fall into the ocean. They were unable to change her clothing, due to Jumba's insistence that they needed to hurry, or else she would be lost forever.

It was just him and Lilo in the lab for hours. Every now and then someone would come by to see how he was doing, giving words of encouragement and sorrow that did nothing to ease his hollow heart. Stitch only ever looked up when Jumba would come, hoping that after some time on the computer he would jump up and exclaim that Lilo would be waking up soon. He never did, Lilo didn't awaken. It had only been half of a day since the incident, but it felt like an eternity to the small, blue experiment.

He leaned down, with tear filled eyes, and kissed Lilo softly on her forehead. Stitch hoped, that somewhere deep down inside, she could feel it and know he loved and needed her. He didn't notice that Lilo's older sister had just come into the lab.

Nani stared at the small creature kissing her sister, she didn't want to interrupt, not knowing how Stitch would react. _I may never get used to it, but she is my sister. _After waiting a few moments for Stitch to go back to his usual position of sitting and staring at his beloved, Nani knocked on the metallic wall. Seeing Stitch look back at her, he didn't tell her to leave, so she approached without fear.

"Come on, Stitch. You haven't ate a thing all day. Starving yourself isn't what she would want."

"Meega not hungry."

Nani placed her hand on his back trying to rub it comfortingly as she looked down at the sleeping form of Lilo. Wiping the quick forming tears from her eyes she tried to convince Stitch one more time. "You're always hungry. Please, everyone's worried about y-"

"It meega fault." Stitch's interruption froze her entirely. She didn't want to blame Stitch. Everyone knew about the exchange they had the previous evening, how Lilo told Stitch to leave her for their sakes. As the older sister though, she wished Stitch had left her to die in Lilo's place.

"Don't be lolo. You did all you could." She wasn't able to hide the pain in her voice. "No one blames you, Stitch. We wouldn't be here without you, and Lilo hasn't left us. The others are waiting for you, please just try to eat."

"Takka, but meega don't want to leave."

"Okay, I'll bring your food then. I'll be right back." Nani turned around and left the ship, clutching her shirt by her heart as it felt heavier now than it ever did.

"Meega should have been able to save everyone." His words were but a whisper, but they didn't fall on deaf ears.

Lilo was able to hear and feel everything that happened around her, but she was still unable to speak, move, or do anything. _Please don't beat yourself up, Stitch. You did everything you could. I'm still here…_


	3. Chapter 3: It's a date

After an hour of running, Lilo finally reached Jumba's ship. Lilo was nowhere near as fast as Stitch, who could cover the distance in less than half the time. Catching her breath, she entered the confines of the red ship, hoping that Stitch was there, and that everything would be okay. Having made her way to the lab, she opened the door just in time to see Jumba walk away from an unconscious Stitch, who was laying on a table.

"Stitch!" Lilo ran up to her best friend. Shaking him, she hoped that he would open his eyes.

"L-little girl." Said a very surprised Jumba. "I was not expecting to see you. What are you doing here?"

"I came after Stitch!" Lilo bellowed, near tears. "Why won't he wake up?"

"I have given him a sedative. Not a lot will be knocking out 626, but now that I have managed to, he will be out for at least an hour."

"Why did you have to put him to sleep?"

Jumba walked over to his computer console, pushing a few keys he began explaining without looking at Lilo. "I am needing to run a few tests. 626 ran into lab, looking very concerned, he asked me to check him over as thoroughly as I could. So far, I am not finding anything. To his request though, I am to do these final checks. To complete them, he must be asleep."

Lilo began to calm down. _So nothing's wrong with him. What a relief._ She gave his head a quick pet before walking over to Jumba. The mess of cables coming from Stitch caught her eye, paining her heart. After everything they've been through together, neither one liked seeing the other like this.

"Little girl, could you be telling me why my greatest experiment would suddenly ask this of me?"

"Well. We were in town, and we ran into Keoni."

"The surfer boy?"

"Yes. Anyway, Stitch suddenly began barking at him, it almost looked like he was about to attack. I was able to stop him, but he looked scared and then ran off."

"That is all?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm." Jumba scratched his chin and checked over the numbers that continued appearing on his computer screen. "It doesn't look like he has any glitches. Nothing is wrong with him physically or mentally. By all means he is completely fine. It could be he is going back to his destructive programing but-"

"No!" Lilo interrupted. "He would never do that! Stitch is good now."

"Yes, I know. As I was going to say, I doubt he would be doing that. The only other reason is that something happened to make him want to attack. Did anything happen right before that might have angered him?"

Lilo thought about what she and Keoni were talking about. It didn't seem like anything out of the ordinary. _All I remember is talking with him like normal, then I started blushing and then Stitch got upset. Could he have been upset about me liking Keoni?_

"I really don't know." She didn't want to continue on the subject. Thinking about Stitch being jealous over her gave her a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach. She didn't know what it was, but she was interrupted before she could continue dwelling on it.

"Anyway. It best if you be leaving now. 626 will not be waking up for a while yet. I will be coming to get you if anything comes up."

With Jumba's advice, Lilo went down the dirt stairs home. She couldn't think of any place she really wanted to go now that she had no plans for the day. Noticing the house was empty she grabbed the phone and gave Angel a call. _She will probably want to know about Stitch. Maybe we can wait together._ After a quick call, a very worried pink experiment arrived after only a few minutes. Lilo explained the situation and asked Angel if she would like to wait with her for Stitch to wake up.

"Ih! Please. Thank you for telling me."

"It's no problem, Angel. You're ohana, and Stitch's boojiboo. I'm sure he wouldn't want you to worry, but I thought you should know."

Pushing Stitch out of their minds the best they could, the two began to relax in the living room, watching TV. Since they didn't get a lot of time to just the two of them, Lilo and Angel got caught up on what they've done recently. Angel had got a job singing at a local restaurant. She didn't need money, but she enjoyed getting to see her voice bring joy, rather than destruction. Since being saved, she hadn't really found a place for her to truly belong. Lilo managed to convince one of Nani's friends to take her in and they quickly became friends. It was through her that Angel was able to start singing at the restaurant she was a waitress at.

"So, Angel. I was wondering if you were planning on going to the Valentine's festival."

"Isa that time of year already?"

"Yeah. It kind of snuck up didn't it?"

"Ih. Meega ask Stitch if he want to go with me, once he is better."

"I bet he'd like that." Lilo said with a smile. She didn't feel like smiling though.

"Do you have a date?"

"No. I was going to ask Keoni when…." Lilo was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. "Who could that be?"

Lilo opened the door, completely stunned. Angel walked over on all fours, mimicking a dog like Stitch usually does, to see a tall brown haired boy at the door.

"Keoni? What are you doing here?"

"Hey Lilo. Hey little pink dudette. I said I was going to come by later, didn't you hear me?"

"No, I didn't. Sorry. Come in."

Keoni started looking around the place while sitting down at the couch. "Not much has changed since I was over last."

"No. We don't need a lot so not much changes."

"Oh yeah. How's your dog doing?" Keoni cursed himself for bring it up. Instantly, Lilo's face dropped. He could also see Angel's demeanor change slightly at the mention of Stitch. "Is it not good?"

"We don't know. He's being looked at now actually."

"So he's at the vet?"

"Um… yeah, you could say that." Not wanting to bring the mood down any further, Lilo quickly changed the subject, sitting down next to the boy. "So, what did you come by for?"

"Well, actually. I was wondering if you wanted to go to the Valentine's Day Festival with me."

"Really?" Lilo was ecstatic. _I've been waiting for Keoni to ask me out for so long! _"I mean. Yes. Of course I would like to go with you." Lilo tried to play herself off as cool, not wanting to seem too eager.

Keoni's smile reached ear to ear. "Great. I can't wait. If you're not doing anything tomorrow, I was wondering if you would want to go out for supper with me too."

Lilo couldn't believe what she was hearing. Angel just looked at her quizzically. She had never seen this side of Lilo before.

"Absolutely. It's a date then?"

"It's a date."

The two worked out the details of their dinner plans before Keoni left to start getting ready. It was going to be a very fancy dinner. Lilo almost didn't get the door closed all the way before she started getting questioned by Angel.

"Was that Lilo's boojiboo?"

"No. That was Keoni. I've had a crush on him for a long time now. I've always wanted him to ask me out, but he never did until now."

"So, you want him to be your boojiboo?"

"Yea-"Lilo paused. Causing Angel to tilt her head, wondering why Lilo stopped suddenly. _I do want him as my boyfriend right? It's what I've wanted for years. So, why don't I feel so confident about it?_ "I've wanted that for a long time now."

"Well then meega happy for you." Angel said with a smile. "Meega been wondering something."

"What is it?" Lilo asked as they returned to watching TV. Seeing that almost an hour had passed.

"Stitch sill wants me as his boojiboo, ih?"

"Yeah, of course. Why?" Lilo saw how concerned Angel was over the matter, and gave her her full attention.

"Well. Weega haven't spent a lot of time together lately. Meega think he may no longer like me."

"Don't be lolo." Lilo grabbed Angels hand comfortingly. "He and I have been busy with our duties for the Galactic Council. I'm sure he cares for you still."

_They've been busy… _Angel thought while looking away.

Lilo could tell her pep talk wasn't having much of an effect on her friend. "I have an idea."

Angel looked back at Lilo, curious as to what she had in mind. "What is it?"

"Well, Keoni and I are having our date tomorrow." _It still doesn't sound right. _"So, why don't you and Stitch go on a date too?"

"A date? We never been on a real date before."

"Then it will be perfect! I'm sure that's just what you need to get that love flowing again."

Angel became distant. Her cheeks grew red as she imagined her and Stitch being out to dinner together. Stitch being a perfect gentleman as they dined at a fancy restaurant. The more she thought about it, the more the idea excited her. "Meega like that idea."

Lilo could see the distant look on Angel's face and giggled at the smile she was making. She happened to glance at the clock and saw that Stitch should be waking up soon.

"Come on Angel. Stitch should almost be awake."

At the mention of Stitch, Angel shook her head as she came back to her senses. With words of agreement, the two headed up to Jumba's lab. Passing Nani along the way, who asked how the day went without answer. She just shrugged and carried her groceries into the house to start making dinner.

Jumba came out of the lab's door just as they themselves had reached it. "Ah! Little girl, and 624! It is good timing. 626 is just waking up now. I was on my way to get you."

Angel stepped forward, holding her own hands with tears almost forming in her eyes. "Is boojiboo okay now?"

"Yes. 626 is just fine. You can go be seeing him now."

Angel rushed into the lab, leaving the two behind.

"Stitch is really okay?" Lilo asked the large alien.

"Yes. As far as I can tell, nothing is being the matter with him."

"So then earlier?"

"I do not know. All I am knowing is that nothing is wrong with him physically, mentally, or in his programing. He completely acted on his own accord."

Still confused on the matter, Jumba left to go back to the house. Lilo made her way into the lab, finding Angel hugging Stitch as he was sitting on the examination table, cables still connected to him. The sight made her smile, but it was weak. Seeing them like that gave her a feeling she couldn't describe. Pushing it aside she made her way to Stitch, who just noticed her approaching. Ending his hug with Angel, he began his apology.

"Meega soka, Lilo."

"Don't worry about it, Stitch. You feeling okay?"

"Ih."

"That's good. Don't go running off like that again okay?"

"Smish. Meega just nagga want to cause trouble like before."

"I know, Stitch." Lilo pulled him into her own forgiving hug. "Just don't scare me like that. What would I do without you?"

"Soka." Stitch whispered, enjoying the warm embrace from his longtime friend. "Meega won't do it again."

The two enjoyed the hug a little too long, making Angel a little jealous and a bit concerned. She coughed, snapping them out of their moment. They pulled away, feeling themselves grow a little red in the process.

"Anyway, Stitch. Keoni asked me to the Valentine's Festival. Also, we're going on a date tomorrow!"

"Gaba?" Stitch was stunned. That was the last thing he expected to hear after he nearly attacked the boy.

"Yeah. I was thinking, since he and I are going out tomorrow, why don't you and Angel as well?"

Stitch looked at his pink angel. Joy and hope clear on her face and in her dark eyes. "Ih. That sounds good."

Angel squealed in delight. She couldn't hold her excitement at the notion of their upcoming date. She started hoping around but quickly stopped at the giggles of her friends watching her. Feeling slightly embarrassed, she bid them good bye as she gave Stitch a lick on his cheek before heading home to start getting ready.

The two waved and said good bye as well. Lilo then helped Stitch detach the rest of the wires from him before taking him back home for a day of relaxation. Something he needed after being knocked out.

**Present Day**

Stitch continued his watch over Lilo. A plate of food left untouched on a trolley next to him. Even with food before him, he still had no appetite. All he could do was sit at Lilo's side. He would pet her head gently, hoping that any moment she would awaken. A gentle, steady beep could be heard throughout the metal room, as Lilo's heart monitor continued. It had been a few hours since anyone came to check on them. He knew they were worried about him, maybe even more so than for Lilo.

_I know you wouldn't want me to starve myself, Lilo. I just can't eat. I can't do anything. Not with you like this. Was this what it was like when you saw me in that pod, all those years ago? Did you also feel like a part of you was ripped away, right before your eyes? In that short time I was gone, what went through your mind?_

Stitch gasped as he felt a hand rub the bottom of his back. He looked down to see Angel there with him. Normally, he would of heard anything or anyone approach him, but his mind was too focused on his love laying on the table before them.

"Hi, Angel." He said weakly.

Angel could see his pain. She noticed the plate to his side, still full of food. "You didn't eat?"

"Meega can't."

"Smish…." Angel trailed off. "Meega haven't been able to eat much either."

"Really?"

"Ih. Lilo sacrificed herself, for me. Knowing she's like this… it's hard."

"Isa because of meega."

"It is." Stitch was shocked. No one else had actually said it was his fault. He knew it was, but it hurt him even more to hear a friend say it. "But it is also your fault the meega isa here right now."

Angel pulled over a chair and sat beside him. Rubbing his back some more. "If it wasn't for you, meega wouldn't be alive. Meega know it doesn't mean much, and that others have already said it… But meega have to say it to you. Not only you, but Lilo too."

"Meega and Lilo?"

"Ih. She made you save us. She chose us over herself. When she wakes up, meega don't know how I can ever thank her. Or you."

Stitch's heart was lifted a bit. It finally sank in as to what had actually happened. _Lilo and I did this together._ "Takka."

"What for?"

"For helping meega fell a tiny bit better."

She retracted her hand from his back, to grab Lilo's. She wanted to show Lilo that she was supporting her as well. "Anything for you two."

Several minutes of silence passed. Even with Angel's words, Stitch still felt a hole inside. The beep of the monitor cutting at him constantly. _We've been through so much, Lilo. We can make it through this too. Even when things ended with Angel…_ Realizing what he had just thought, he felt guilty with Angel right beside him.

"Angel…"

"What is it?"

"Meega soka."

"Sorry? Why?"

"For how things ended between us."

Angel smiled, it didn't pain her like it did a few weeks ago. "Don't be sorry. I understand. I've been warming up to Sparky lately, and besides, you two are really cute together."

"Really?"

"Ih. Meeag think so. The other experiments do too."

"That's good. I really love her."

"Meega know you do."

Angel stayed with Stitch, wanting to keep her two best friends company in their time of need. Lilo heard everything that Angel had said. She was happy to know that she was okay, not only after the attack, but with her and Stitch's relationship. _I wish I could do something._ She thought desperately. Try as she might, she couldn't move, couldn't open her eyes. Trapped inside herself. _I'm sorry you all have to suffer like this._


	4. Chapter 4: Do you really?

The two spent the rest of the day just relaxing. Stitch laid down on the couch as Lilo insisted on getting him anything he needed. While his mind was fully awake, his body was still groggy from being knocked out. Stitch had never felt like this before. Even when he had technically died during his glitch, his body didn't feel like this. He felt bad for having Lilo do every little thing for him. In truth, he had never really been sick before. The earth viruses and illnesses didn't have an effect on him. Jumba explained that it was due to him, "being designed so that he would be being unstoppable." Out of anything, only Poxy would be able to make him sick in any way.

"Meega sorry for this." Stitch said as Lilo took a cup of water from his hand, now that he was finished with it.

"Don't be silly, Stitch." She replied with a smile. "You're always taking care of me, it's really the least I could do. Just make sure to keep your promise not to run off like that again. I don't want you to have to feel like this a lot."

"Ih." He said, letting his head fall back on the pillow Lilo got for him.

She gave him a quick kiss on the forehead before running into the kitchen to put the cup away. As soon as she was out of sight she quickly pressed her back against the blue kitchen wall. She brought her hand up to her chest, able to feel her heart race beneath it. _What's wrong with me? All I did was kiss his head. I've done it plenty of times before. _She took a deep breath and made her way to the sink to pour out the water. _It must be because of what had happened, right?_ She set the glass down and leaned against the counter, resting her head on her crossed arms. _Then why did I feel like that when I saw him and Angel together?_ She could feel a fire burn inside her at the image. _No. It's nothing. It's just because of everything that's happened. It was a busy day after all. Yeah, that's it. Between what happened with Stitch and Keoni asking me out, of course my heart would be racing._

While Lilo was in the kitchen, Stitch continued laying on the couch. As soon as Lilo's lips had left him, he brought his hand up to the spot that she had kissed. He could still feel them there, sending heat throughout his body. _Her kisses have never felt like this before. Sure they've always made me happy, but what is this?_ Stitch continued his internal struggle, trying to figure out what was going on in his head and in his heart. _I can't think about all of this right now. I have Angel. She loves me, and I love her… don't I?_ He started thinking to all the times he had spent with the pink experiment since she first activated. Everything went by quickly at first. It was love at first sight. Despite all the bad she did for Gantu, he still felt attracted to her. After she finally turned he thought he would be able to truly be with her. When she was captured by Gantu he was truly devastated. A day didn't go by when he didn't think about her, and even made a small shrine for her. Once they freed her their relationship really hit off. However, it didn't feel the same as before. _What changed?_ _Why haven't we been on a date yet? She loves me, has since we met. And if I love her, we should be dating. We're boojiboo's after all. _

Stitch turned over as he heard Lilo finally approaching, not asking what had taken her so long.

"How are you feeling?" She asked him rather hesitantly.

"Better now." He replied, he could feel that his body was starting to snap out of its grogginess. "Takka to youga."

Lilo could feel a slight blush to her cheeks return from his comment, hoping he wouldn't notice. Stitch saw that she was acting a bit strange, but figured that that was to be expected with all that happened.

The rest of the night continued as normal. Eventually Stitch felt completely back to normal and the two were playing and laughing like they always did. Trying their best to suppress the thoughts and feelings that seemed to pop up out of nowhere just that afternoon. Instead they focused on what would happen the very next day. Both of them were going to go on their very first date. That morning Lilo stood in the bathroom. She was already dressed for hula class. Wearing her grass skirt, top, and lei's on her wrists and ankles, she stood in front of the bathroom mirror brushing her hair. Staring at herself as her heart quickened at the thought of her oncoming date.

"What am I supposed to do on a date?" She asked herself, staring at her image in the mirror hoping that an answer would just appear in front of her. "I've never done anything like this. I've always wanted it, sure, but what do I do?"

She ran the brush through her already straight hair furiously. Taking her nerves out on the long raven black strands. "Come on, Lilo. Get a hold of yourself. It's just dinner. I eat dinner all the time."

Her hands stopped moving, and with a sigh she placed the brush on the counter by the sink.

"If it's just a dinner then why do you feel this way?" Her reflection asked.

"Because I like him." Lilo said. She could feel her voice weaken at the words.

"Do you really?" The words were cool as ice, freezing her as the meaning sank in deep. The reflection waited for a response but never received one. "I thought so."

Lilo got angry at the image, at herself. "Of course I like him! I've had a crush on him since we first met. I'm happy that he asked me out after all these years."

She stormed out of the bathroom, nearly fuming. Wondering why she just got so angry at herself. She suppressed the little voice in her head, berating her for her actions. Doing her best just to ignore it and the feeling of uneasiness.

Lilo met Stitch outside, at the bottom of the steps.

"Let's go." Her words, coated with anger more, than she meant to put in, caught Stitch off guard for a moment. He kept a few paces behind, head tilted as he observed his friend. When she passed him he saw that her brow was furrowed in anger, with a fire in her eyes he normally didn't see. Combine that with the way she put a slight stomp to her step and half hazardly placed her lei on her head, he knew something was wrong.

He quickly ran to her side and grabbed her hand, causing her to stop dead in her tracks as her heart skipped a beat. She took a moment to recompose herself before she turned and saw concern drawn on Stitch's face. He paused, then looked down at his hand holding hers and let go suddenly, feeling blood rush to his head.

"Lilo oketaka?" He asked, trying to focus on her rather than his ever warming cheeks.

"I'm fine." She replied, still anger in her tone. She saw Stitch flinch a bit and instantly felt guilty. "I'm sorry, Stitch. I didn't mean to say it like that."

"Gaba wrong?"

She smiled at his care for her, something that had always brought comfort. "I don't know. I just felt angry suddenly. I don't even really know why."

She was about to continue trying to explain things. More to herself than to Stitch. However, she completely stopped as Stitch suddenly stepped forward and hugged her much like he did when they first met. Lilo didn't really know what to do or how to react. Her heart quickened again, but everything felt really right.

"W-what are you doing?" She asked, the anger long gone from her voice.

"Hugs always make things better. Ih? Meega make youga feel better."

His words and actions melted her. She relaxed into him and wrapped her arms around him in kind. "Thank-you." She whispered in his ear. "I'm sorry I snapped at you like that."

"Isa oketaka." He slowly let go of her, feeling like her was leaving a part of him behind for some reason. "Youga feel better?"

"I do." She could still feel his arms around her, even though they were long gone. She kept the thought out of her mind as they continued their way to class.

By the time class had ended Lilo, was feeling a lot better. Dancing really helped to clear her mind, and despite feeling Stitch watch her the entire time, she managed to keep focus on her lessons. Once finished, Lilo quickly ran into the changing area to get ready for her date. Keoni was supposed to pick her up shortly after class and she didn't want to keep him waiting.

Once changed into her best dark blue mu'umu'u, Lilo re-brushed her hair, she was still worried about looking and acting her best for the date. Victoria saw the unusual amount of care Lilo was putting into her looks and became curious as to what was going on.

"Hey, Lilo. You got plans or anything?" She asked as she started tying her shoe.

"Yeah, I got big plans. Why?" Lilo tried her best to hide her date. She knew if Myrtle found out she wouldn't hear the end of it.

"It's just that you don't normally try so hard to look good." Victoria thought about it for a few moments before it finally dawned on her. "Wait. Is it because of a boy?"

Lilo quickly clamped her hand over the excited girl mouth. "Shhh." She whispered. "I don't want the others to find out. I want to try to enjoy it."

Victoria made some muffled sounds through Lilo's hand.

"What?"

Victoria pulled Lilo's hand away, finally allowing her to breathe and talk properly. "I said okay and asked who it was."

"Keoni." She said in a hushed tone.

"Really?" Victoria squealed, quickly throwing her hands over her mouth, seeing the other girls looking at them. "Sorry. So you asked him out and he said yes?"

"No. He asked me out, he's meeting me here in a little bit."

"Wow. I'm so happy for you." She said as she threw her arms around her in a hug.

"Thanks." Lilo replied happily. "I best get going, he should be here soon."

Before hearing a reply she was already out the door. Meeting Stitch outside they waited by the road for Keoni and Angel to meet up with them. They shared with each other their nerves about their respective plans. They gained comfort knowing that the other felt just like they did, neither one really knowing what they were supposed to do on an actual real date.

It didn't take long for Keoni to come for Lilo. With a hug good-bye Stitch watched her walk off. Feeling slightly jealous for reasons he didn't understand. He himself didn't have to wait much longer before two pink paw like hands covered his eyes.

"Guess who." A sing song voice said from behind him.

"Aloha, Angel." Stitch said with a slight giggle.

"Youga all ready?" Angel asked as she let him go, letting him turn around. She blushed slightly when he didn't say anything. "Youga naga like it?"

Angel decided to try to dress up a little. She wore a light pink mu'umu'u around her waist like a skirt and had put a white flower on top her head on her left side.

"Youga look butifa." Stitch said with a smile, warming up as he saw the happiness spring onto her face.

"Really? Meega so happy!" She said with a twirl. "Let's get going then!"

The two of them made their way into town. Angel wrapped herself onto Stitch's arm, happy to get to be on a romantic date like a real couple.

**Present Day**

Stitch woke up with a start. Shaking his head he looked down to see Lilo was still as peaceful as ever. He wished with all his heart that she would wake up with him. He turned his head to the side and saw that Angel was sleeping beside him, using her arms as a pillow on the examination table. _We must have fallen asleep. What time is it?_ Stitch looked at the clock he had thrown on the floor long ago. Hating how the time ticked by, like it was mocking him. _Looks like it's almost noon._ With a sigh he picked up Angel in his arms.

"Meega be right back, Lilo." He whispered as he gave Lilo a quick kiss on the cheek.

Doing his best not to wake up the sleeping experiment. He snuck quietly into the house and placed her on the couch. He ran to closet and grabbed a blanket to keep her warm while she slept. Once the blanket reached her she began to stir a little and turned over.

"Meega sorry." She whispered.

For a second Stitch thought she was talking to him, but on inspection she was still completely fast asleep. With a sad sigh, he made his way outside. Closing the door as quietly as he could, he was startled by a voice behind him.

"Hey, Stitch."

Feeling his heart race in his chest, Stitch turned to see Keoni standing there, holding himself guiltily.

"Gaba youga want?" Stitch spat in anger.

"I heard something happened to, Lilo." He said, sadness radiating off of him.

"Lilo will be fine." Telling himself more than the surfer boy.

"Look. I know you're angry with me. I really don't blame you. I was a jerk and I deserve every bit of it." Keoni could see he wasn't going to get a reply from the little blue experiment, so he decided to just continue. "I just wanted to come by and apologize. I feel awful for what happened, especially between us. And I just wanted to come by and say that and that I really hope Lilo gets better."

For half a month Stitch had been furiously angry at the surfer boy. No matter what he thought that anger would never forgive him, or accept any apology. After what happened with Lilo, though. _Can I really live life with this anger inside?_

Keoni saw that Stitch wasn't going to reply, and truly he never expected to receive any forgiveness. He truly just wanted to apologize. With his head hung low he turned and started making his way down the steps.

_What would Lilo do?_ Stitch asked himself. Watching the back of the boy slowly descend the stairs. Still at war with himself he slid down the railing, grabbing onto the end of the rail to keep his balance as he stood.

"Thank-you." He stated simply to the back of Keoni. Stitch jumped from the railing and quickly ran back up the mountain trail to the hidden ship. Making his way back to his Lilo as quickly as he could.

Keoni stopped when he heard Stitch's words. He still felt bad about himself, but hearing the thanks from Stitch lifted his heavy conscience just a little bit. Enough for him to hold his head high once again.


	5. Chapter 5: Beginning to Date

Lilo still felt nervous all the way to the restaurant. She had let Keoni pick where they went, and she was surprised that he had picked a place a little fancier than she was used to.

"Are you sure I look okay to be here?" She asked, looking over her regular clothes. She liked them because they were comfortable, and she wouldn't change her style for anything in the world. However, it wasn't something she'd expect to wear to a fancy restaurant.

Keoni flashed her a smile that always melted her heart. "You look fine, Lilo. What you wear doesn't matter. Look at me, I'm in a t-shirt and jeans. Don't worry about it, no one's going to pay any mind to us."

The waiter led them to their seats, and despite Keoni's kind words, she couldn't help but feel eyes on her the entire way there. Each gaze felt like it was looking right through her, telling her that she didn't belong there. Relief washed over her as they were given a booth in a near empty corner of the restaurant.

Once they were seated, Lilo was about to start talking when another waiter suddenly showed up that was only a little older than Keoni. "What can I get for you to drink?" He asked while placing down two menus for the both of them.

Lilo didn't really know what to say. _What's okay to have? What do they even have here?_ Keoni noticed that she was getting a little panicked and couldn't hold back a giggle.

"I'll just have a cola." Keoni said, giving Lilo another one of those heart racing smiles.

"Same." She said, a little more than a squeak. _Ugh, this is so embarrassing._ Lilo tried to hide her face in the menu as her nerves were getting the best of her. She had saved and named hundreds of illegal genetic experiments. Been to space on more than one occasion. Saved the world more times than she could count and never had a second thought about it. A simple date with the boy she liked? _This is the hardest thing in the world._

It didn't take long for Lilo to notice a trend on the menu. "This is all really expensive. Are you sure it's okay?" Keoni tilted her menu down, forcing her to look at him again. His clear blue eyes seeming to take all the troubles away from her.

"It'll be fine." He said, simply and beautifully. His words were calming and seemed to close the world around them. "My dad gives me a pretty good allowance. I never really know what to spend it on. So, let me spend it on you for tonight."

Again, his words had a powerful effect on her. She could feel heat grow in her cheeks, and she hoped he couldn't notice. She hid from him behind the menu again, deciding on her meal. After a short time, their waiter returned, gave them their drinks, took their orders, and left with their menus. Having nothing to hide herself behind, Lilo was completely defenseless. She had lost herself in his eyes, waiting for some intelligent thing to come to her mind.

After a few moments of silence, Keoni finally started their conversation. "So how's Stitch doing?"

"He's doing a lot better." Lilo was thankful her trance was finally broken. "We didn't find anything wrong with him, completely healthy."

"Well that's a relief. It'd be awful if something was wrong."

Lilo couldn't help but go back to the time she thought Stitch had died from his glitch. It had felt like her whole world had crumbled around her again. A life without Stitch was not one she wanted to experience. Any day she woke up without him there would be an empty one. "It would be… So is Jam doing okay?" She wanted to get off the subject of Stitch's health as quickly as possible.

"He's been doing great actually." He started playing with the straw in his drink. "Yeah. I mean, every now and then he makes the TV or phones go on the fritz. Can't really blame him though, he just gets excited a lot."

"As long as he's doing well, that's what we care about."

"You do a lot for these little guys, you know that?" Keoni never really noticed how much Lilo cared and did for all the creatures on the island. It wasn't until he took Jam in that he really understood how special they really were. He didn't know where they came from, but Kaua'I wouldn't be the same without them.

"Really? I guess you could say it's my job to, but it's the least I could do."

"You're job?" Keoni wondered what she meant by that, and was going to question it further, but was interrupted by their food finally arriving.

The conversation died down quickly while they started eating. Lilo ate a little faster than she should have, gaining a few looks from the people around once again. Keoni just smiled at her, but she slowed down none the less. It was a really amazing meal. Nowhere near the level that Frenchfry could make, but still up there none the less. She felt like she had something better once though. It was at the back of her mind, almost within her reach. Just a memory of taste, and the thought of Stitch returning to her. She was brought back to reality by Keoni once again as he started the conversation again.

Through the rest of the meal Lilo and Keoni talked about as much as they could. Even though Lilo had known him for years, she didn't get to really know a lot about him aside from his love of surfing and skateboarding. They never really had a chance to just talk about life. Lilo had to keep quite a bit of hers a secret. Despite being Ambassador of Earth, she didn't get to flaunt that title often. She did get to learn a little more about the things Keoni did and didn't like. Such as his favorite fruit being pomegranates and that he hates the snow.

Lilo was able to talk a little bit about her adventures with Stitch. Keoni could see just how much she cared about him in the way she talked. She put so much care into each word of praise for or about him. He could actually feel her bond with him through all the stories she told. He was actually getting a little jealous of the little blue guy. It sounded like a lot more than friendship to him, but he quickly pushed the thought out, knowing that Stitch was just her pet after all.

The meal had soon ended. Much sooner than Lilo had expected or wanted. However, making their way outside, Lilo was surprised by how dark it had become. Realizing that they were in there a lot longer than they should have been, she explained that she needed to get home. Keoni offered to walk her back, which she graciously accepted. She truly treasured the diner they shared together, and they even made plans to go out again the next day. On the way home, they had reached the topic of skateboarding. Lilo loved the way he talked about the sport. You could really feel how much it meant to him. The entire way home she tried to inch herself closer to him. Every so often she would stop and look to see if he wanted her to back off, but instead she just got that same dreamy smile from him and she would feel her heart race.

Before she wanted to, they found themselves in front of Lilo's house.

"Well, looks like this is your stop." Keoni said, scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah. I had a great time, thank you."

"It was no problem. I had a lot of fun too." Lilo stood there, wondering if he was going to try to kiss her good night. He took a step forward and her heart began to race again. She was disappointed when she saw him back away. "I should probably get going. I'll see you tomorrow, Lilo."

"Aloha." She waved as his form ran off towards town. Her arm slowly fell to her side, and with a sad sigh she climbed the stairs to her house. Once inside, she simply closed the door and pressed her back against it.

While Lilo was enjoying the start of her date with Keoni, Stitch and Angel were having trouble getting theirs going. All of the restaurants they tried to enter would kick them out or refuse service. A lot of places still considered the new residents animals, making it hard to be normal in society. Angel was disappointed that she wouldn't get to see her fantasy of Stitch being the perfect gentlemen fulfilled. Stitch, recognizing the sad look on her face, suggested they go for a walk through the forest. He knew just where he wanted to take her too. With a silent nod she let him take her hand and begin leading her through the maze of trees.

It didn't take long for her mood to quickly change. Even if it wasn't what she expected, just being out with Stitch felt refreshing and fun. Stitch was showing her a side to the island she didn't normally see. Having spent most of her time either captured or in town, she didn't travel the wilderness very much.

"Where youga taking meega?" She asked, loving the way the shadows of the leaves danced around them. She let go of his hand, dancing around the path, enjoying the freshness of the air. The light of the sun created a beautiful glow on the foliage above.

"Isa surprise." Stitch told her, taking her hand as he moved a large branch for her to get by. "Weega almost there."

Angel was very curious about what her surprise may be. She could hear the faint sound of water getting closer, but it echoed all throughout the trees. The farther they walked, the more flowers lined the forest trail. Vast and vibrant colours surrounded them everywhere she looked. Stitch loved the look of wonder on her face, enjoying the dreamy look in her eyes as she took in the beauty. Angel didn't notice that they had actually stopped walking, still entranced by the wonder around her. Her eyes eventually met Stitch's as he watched her, his soft and loving stare cause her to blush and look away.

"So, where are we?" Angel asked, trying to hide her face. From what she could tell, they had reached a dead end. The path seemed to stop and to her it seemed like just another part of the forest.

"Weega here." Stitch said as he took her hand again, sending a shiver down her spine. He pulled away more branches in front of them, revealing a beautiful scene.

A large waterfall was crashing down on a calm creek. A rainbow flowing over top with the trees swaying in the slight breeze. All the bushes, leaves, and vines around the creek were a beautiful and lush green, with flowers blooming fully all over. All the scents of the forest washed around inside the little clearing. Every now and then a little forest animal would rush to the stream for a drink, take a look at them and then run back into the maze of trees.

"Isa beautiful." Angel said, completely captivated by the scene before her.

"Isa get better." Stitch replied as he led her to a clear spot for them to sit.

Angel didn't know what he meant by that, but she just let him carry her away. She didn't know the island could look like this, all she ever knew were the towns, and to her they were amazing. Everything was always so calming, it always showed her why not destroying things was a good thing. This though, was different. It was exciting. Everywhere she looked she saw beautiful life taking hold of its own spot in the world. She was jealous of it. She always wanted to know where she belonged. She stole a glance at Stitch, who was watching the crashing water spray mist into the air. _Maybe I don't need to search anymore._

Stitch sat down and lounged back, closing his eyes as he began enjoying the sounds of the forest around them. The whistling of the wind between the trees, the buzzing of bugs, and the sweet songs of the birds made a calming melody he loved. Angel smiled and sat beside him, gasping slightly when she felt Stitch's arm wrap around her.

"Where are we?" Angel asked finally breaking the silence between the two.

"Naga nota. Lilo and meega found it one day when weega looking for cousins."

"Youga and Lilo…" Angel said a little sadly. Her tone went unnoticed by Stitch.

"Ih. Meega naga think many people nota about it. Meega naga see people here ever. Meega come here alone a lot to think. "

Angel pushed the thought of him and Lilo spending time together out of her mind. _He's showing me his secret place. I should be happy that he's sharing this with me._ She nuzzled into his neck, making him smile and giggle. He gave her a kiss on the top of her head. Angel could feel her cheeks flush once again, but didn't try to hide it. Instead, she gave a happy sigh into his shoulder.

"Takka." She whispered into him.

"Hmm?" Stitch asked, not quite understanding what she was thanking him for. She giggled at the confused look on his face.

"It's nothing."

The two sat in their loving embrace for a while longer. Neither one wanted to ruin the mood, just cuddling against one another in the serenity of the island. After a short time, Angel could feel her stomach begin to rumble. She had been looking forward to dinner so much that she had skipped lunch. Now that it was a little while after dinner and having trekked through the forest, she was starting to get really hungry. _Not yet. I don't want to leave this. It's too wonderful. I finally get to be alone with Stitch, and on a date no less. He's being so wonderful too. Sharing with me this beautiful place. I don't want this to end._ Her wishes would not be fulfilled. After only a moment, her stomach rumbled again, this time she could hear it. Stitch did too.

"Youga hungry?" he asked sweetly.

"Ih." She said, nodding her head sheepishly. "But meega want to stay here with youga longer. Meega can wait."

"Naga." Stitch replied, standing up. Angel was left disappointed and looked onto the stream one last time before motioning to get up. Stitch placed a warm hand on her shoulder, keeping her in place. "Naga. Meega get food. Youga wait here. Oketaka?"

"O-okay." She was going to question him about what he was getting, but before she had a chance to say anything, Stitch was already in the forest. As soon as he rushed passed the green bushes, birds flew out over the tree tops out of fear.

Angel just smiled and went back to watching the river flow before her. Angel waited patiently, wondering what Stitch would return with.

**Present Day**

Angel awoke rather confused, finding herself inside the house, rather than in the lab. When she sat up she felt the blanket ruffle around her. _How did that get there? _It didn't take her long to figure out what had happened._ Stitch…Thank you. Even still you're looking after me. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for those things I said to you._ She got up and folded the blanket, setting it on the arm of the couch. She made her way into the kitchen, grabbing a cup for a drink of water. She pulled a chair over to the sink in order to reach the faucet well.

After her drink, she set her cup on the counter, staring at the rim as she traced it with her finger. _I know you apologized earlier, Stitch. But I really should have too. I was just so jealous. Neither one of you deserved that. You definitely don't deserve any of this._

She released a sad sigh, turning at the sound of someone coming into the room.

"Aloha, Angel." Nani said as she entered the kitchen, slumping herself at the table.

"Aloha." Angel returned sadly.

Since Lilo's accident, everyone's usual cheery demeanor had been lost. They never noticed how much life she had brought to them all until now. Angel joined Nani at the table, neither one saying anything more to each other. The silence was deafening, Nani could hear a ringing in her ears, but still said nothing. _What is there to say?_ Nani and Angel had never really been close. Aside from Stitch, she didn't spend any time with the experiments. Despite everything that happened she never really knew how to act around them. _They're Stitch's cousins. Angel is a good friend of theirs too. I should try to learn more about them. Lilo would like that._

"So, Angel." Nani began with a sheepish grin. "How have you been lately?"

"Not good." Angel replied sadly, looking down at the table. Averting her gaze as best she could.

"Yeah. I suppose I should've known that." Nani rubbed the back of her neck. _Well that went well. _The silence was suddenly broken by Pleakley walking into the kitchen, dusting everything in sight.

"So, how are we all doing today?" He asked, rather cheerfully all things considered. When no one answered, he furrowed his brow. Looking at the dreary faces at the table he got angry. Placing his hands on his hips he taped his foot, still not getting any answer. "So." He said more forcefully. "How are we all doing today?"

The two at the table looked over at him, faces long, being weighed down by their consciences.

"How do you think?" Nani snapped at him. "Sorry. How are you so happy?"

"Well I'm not." Pleakley said as he went back to dusting unnecessarily. Picking up Angel's discarded glass, dusting it, then putting it back down. "But I know that Lilo wouldn't want me to just sit around moping forever. She would want me to keep going. Be strong. Right?" The two nodded in response, but still said nothing. "So how is the little one doing up there in the ship?"

"Naga change with Lilo." Angel stated plainly.

"That's not who I meant and you know it." He pointed at her with his feather duster. "How's Stitch doing?"

"He hasn't eaten."

"Well that's not good." Pleakley brought his hand up to his chin, pondering over what to do. "I think the mood here is too dreary."

Nani slammed her hands on the table, frustrated with how Pleakley was acting like everything was okay. "Why do you think that!?" She yelled. "Lilo's hurt. She's hurt bad. We don't even know why!" Nani was finished with keeping herself cool and collected. "Of course we're upset. Of course it's dreary. What would you expect?"

"I would expect you to be smarter than this." Pleakley snapped back, throwing Nani off. "You're all acting like hope is lost. If Lilo taught me one thing, it's to always have hope and never give up. She'll pull through this, have some faith."

Pleakley stormed out of the room, leaving the two with his words to think about. Nani slumped back into her chair. She put her head on the table with her hands on top, covering her face the best she could. Tears forming in her eyes, flowing freely down her face. Angel tried holding her own tears back, but was unable to. _He's right._ They both thought.


	6. Chapter 6: A River of Diamond

Angel waited patiently for Stitch's return. The two of them had already trekked through the forest long enough for the sun to begin to set low in the sky, but as she waited for Stitch, the sun fell even lower. A warm orange glow was beginning to cast over the area, creating a beautiful effect on the water. Suddenly, she could see a waterfall of citrus, rather than crystal, fall before her. _I wonder if this is what he meant about it getting better._ She truly hadn't been waiting for long, but every second away from Stitch felt like an eternity to her.

With the sound of rustling leaves, Angel looked away from the sight before her. She turned to find a few tall leaves starting to part with a blue creature coming out from behind them.

"Stitch!" She shouted his name, full of happiness. "Youga back already?"

"Ih." He said, pulling a giant palm leaf behind him. "Meega found lots of food."

"Really?" She quickly got up, dusting herself off. _Always have to look my best for Stitch._ "What did youga find?"

Stitch finished pulling the leaf carefully over, revealing a large variety of tropical fruits and nuts. Most of them already sliced, completely ready to eat, all in a nice display on the leaf.

"Did youga do all of this?"

"Meega nota youga wanted a fancy meal. This isa best meega could do." He explained bashfully.

"Oh, boojiboo!" Angel leapt forward, tackling him down in a hug. "Isa amazing. Meega love it!" She gave him a lick across his cheek, causing him blush noticeably.

"Meega glad youga like it." He told her, returning a lick of his own. "Should weega eat now?"

"Ih."

The two began eating the magnificent display of food. Angel thought the flavors fit the look of the area around them, tropical and fresh. It all smelled so beautiful. She had never smelled the aroma of so many fruits at once, she had never eaten them freshly picked either. Even a few animals came out of the forest, looking for the source. Angel tossed a few pieces out to them, which were eaten or taken away immediately. _It's so peaceful here. No wonder he likes it so much._

"Stitch." She began.

"Ih?"

"Youga said earlier that it gets better here. Isa this what youga meant?" Angel asked, referring to the beauty of the sunsets glow reflected on the water.

"Naga. Isa butifa, ih. But isa get even more butifa."

Angel took another bite of her fruit, wondering just what more could happen here. Once they were finally done, they set the large leaf onto the stream. Watching it float away, Angel felt another shiver. The sky had started to darken without warning. Angel looked up to see that clouds had suddenly filled the sky, blocking all of the light from getting through. She was about to ask Stitch if they should get going, when she saw a really disappointed look on his face.

"Youga oketaka?"

"Hmmm." Stitch started thinking, he had hoped that the weather would be good, but it was looking like that wasn't going to happen. "Meega oketaka."

Another cold breeze brushed past them. Angel felt the chill run down her spine and grabbed onto Stitch to keep herself warm. "Isa cold now. Weega go?"

Stitch saw her start to shiver. She was right, it was getting colder by the minute. He tried to move, but something told him to stay. Something told him to wait there. "Weega wait one more minute."

_What could be so important?_ Angel thought, holding onto Stitch as hard as she could. His body did well to keep her warm. Most of the heat came from her heart racing so hard from being so close to him. Despite the weather, she was still enjoying the time she was spending with Stitch. She gasped suddenly as she felt Stitch's arm wrap around her. Her cheeks turned a deeper colour of pink as a shiver went down her spine. She could feel her heart beating strong, it felt like it was about to burst from her chest. She looked up at Stitch, looking into his eyes reflecting the dark sky. _Does he feel this way too?_

Stitch's face slowly began to light up. Angel followed his gaze to find that the clouds were quickly starting to part. The cold air also began fading away with the breaking of the clouds. After a few moments, the night sky was visible, a sea of stars radiated above them. Even the moon was full, it looked bigger than Angel had ever seen it.

"Wow. Isa beautiful." She said in amazement. Stitch couldn't help but giggle at her comment, he knew she hadn't yet seen what he meant to show her. "Why are youga laughing at...mee...ga…?" As Angel brought her gaze down at Stitch, she finally saw what Stitch had meant was beautiful.

The crystal clear water was reflecting the night sky. The moon filled the waterfall, bringing it closer to her than she had ever been before. As the water flowed, it no longer looked like the blue, or even citrus orange it was before. Now it sparkled like a million jewels, flowing down the mountain side.

"What is this?" She asked in a whisper. She had seen many beautiful things today, but this was on a whole new level, something she would truly treasure forever.

"Meega discovered this one night." Stitch answered. "Meega was sitting here when night fell, and meega couldn't believe the way it looked."

"Do youga and Lilo come here to see it often?" She asked, already dreading what the answer would be. Her ears dropped against her back, wishing that she was the only girl to have seen it. She couldn't help but wish she was the only girl in Stitch's life, but she knew she could never ask for him and Lilo to stop being friends. She did love Lilo as a friend, but she wished she would get more time with her boojiboo.

"Naga."

"Huh?" Angel turned her attention away from the diamond river before her. She wasn't entirely sure if she had heard him right.

"Lilo and meega found this place, but meega naga show Lilo it at night." He told her, seeing the same sparkling of the water reflecting in her eyes. "This isa meega's secret. Meega wanted to share it with youga."

"With meega?" Angel could feel tears start to form in the corner of her eyes. All this time she had been jealous of Lilo. Jealous that she got to share so many things with her Stitch. Something she would never tell Stitch was that she was worried that Stitch no longer felt anything for her. _I never should have thought that. He's sharing with me something so beautiful, something Lilo doesn't even know about._ Angel felt more confident in her relationship with Stitch. Lilo was right, a date was just what they needed.

Stitch pulled Angel even closer into him. _I wonder how Lilo's date is going._ He had thought about Lilo's date almost constantly through his and Angel's date. Something inside him told him that it was wrong for her to be out with Keoni. _It's just me being overprotective again. Right?_ Stitch tried his best to focus on Angel, his boojiboo. To push the thoughts of Lilo out of his head as he was on his date. Try as he might, the thought never left the back of his mind, but he still enjoyed spending his time with Angel. _She really is beautiful._ He thought as he watched her continue to take in the view of the hidden valley he shared with her. The sparkling shimmer reflecting off of her fur.

"Meega think isa time to get going." Stitch finally said, it was almost time for him and Lilo to return. Their curfew had been extended, but not by much after sunset.

"Oketaka." Angel agreed, reluctantly. She wish she could spend the rest of the evening with Stitch, but it was also time for her to get home too. "Weega go on date again soon?"

"Ih. Meega had butifa fun." Stitch told her with a smile. "Maybe next time weega get to do gaba youga wanted to do."

With few words spoken, Stitch walked Angel to her new home. He knew she didn't need any protection anymore, she could truly handle anything Earth had to offer. All the experiments could. The two of them just wanted to spend a little more time together before their evening would end. Once Angel was safely at home, she waved good-bye to him from the window.

"So, how was your date?" a voice asked from behind her.

Angel jumped, she didn't realize that she wasn't alone there. She turned around, stilling her racing heart, to find Clara already in her pajama pants and t-shirt. Her long chestnut brown hair was tied up in a ponytail.

"It was amazing." Angel gushed. Not feeling embarrassed about her obvious giddiness. She had really become close with Clara after moving in with her. "Weega didn't get to go to a fancy restaurant. But Stitch showed me something even more amazing."

Clara put the book she had been reading on the coffee table, she never really got to talk about dates before. She always wanted to have a little sister, and now she was starting to find one in Angel. "Okay. You have to tell me everything."

Angel started telling her about the date, twirling one of her antennas in between her fingers. Clara listened intently the whole time, noticing that Angel had left out the detail about where they actually were that had this amazing view. When she questioned it, Angel only told her that it was a secret.

When Stitch returned home, he was surprised to find that Lilo hadn't yet returned. It was almost time for their new curfew, and when he asked Nani she only told him that she was sure Lilo would be okay. Stitch stayed home sitting on the couch, waiting for her, feeling worried. If he had known where they had gone, he would already have been there. Something ached inside him as he waited. A feeling he hadn't felt ever before. Time slowly ticked by. The sun had just set when Stitch was with Angel by the waterfall, and he made it home within an hour after that. Now it was a half hour passed curfew and he was growing more worried by the minute.

His ears twitched as he heard voices coming from outside. Running to the window, he pushed the curtain to the side, revealing the two on the path down below. He watched as the two stood, talking, suppressing a growl as Keoni moved towards Lilo. Relief washed over him as he watched the young boy run off, leaving Lilo behind. Stitch closed the curtain quickly as Lilo turned towards the house. Once she entered the house, she closed the door and pressed her back against it.

"Lilo!" Stitch shouted her name, instantly pulling her attention to him. Unable to hold back anymore, Stitch ran to her pulling her in a hug and lifted her up. "Meega worried about youga."

"W-worried?" She said a little strained. "What for?"

"Youga out really late. Naga know where youga were. Worried something might have happened."

Lilo felt warm from his touch, warmer than when she was with Keoni. His words sent something through her, bringing up those feelings she tried to suppress before. Not wanting them to come back, she quickly asked to be let down.

"Soka." Stitch said, blushing from his sudden outburst.

"It's okay." She said reassuringly, brushing her hair back into place with her hands. "I'm fine, Stitch. It was just a date."

Stitch got uncomfortable at the word 'date.' He didn't like something about the idea of her dating. _It's because she's my friend. I just want her safe._ He tried to keep that as the reasoning, not willing to explore it any further.

"You're right though." Lilo said, kicking off her sandals. "It is late. I'm sorry. Before I realized it, it was already night, I got home as soon as I could."

Stitch was going to tell her it was okay, when a voice came from the kitchen. "Lilo? You home now?"

"Yeah, Nani!"

Nani walked in, drying a dinner plate with a damp towel. "It's passed curfew you know."

"I know. I'm sorry. Really I am. I just sort of, lost track of time."

"I understand." Nani said, throwing the towel over her shoulder. "But you know the rules."

"Home before an hour after dark, unless it's a galactic emergency." Lilo recited.

"Or?"

"Or unless I'm with a responsible adult."

"Was there an emergency?" Nani asked, to which Lilo shook her head. "And who were you with."

"Keoni."

"Then you broke curfew. Again. You didn't even have Stitch with you this time." Nani put down the plate so she could get down closer to Lilo's level. "Honestly, Lilo, what am I going to do with you?"

"I won't do it again! I promise. Please don't ground me." Lilo pleaded with all her heart. "I already made plans to go out with Keoni again tomorrow."

_Another date? Already?_ Stitch thought. Taken a back slightly by how fast things seemed to be moving between the two of them.

After some begging and negotiating, Lilo got out of being grounded. In exchange, she wasn't allowed to watch any monster movies for a week. Also, she had to be home a half hour earlier in that time frame too.

Once they were let go, Lilo and Stitch hurried off to their room. Lilo wanted to tell Stitch about her date, and she really wanted to hear about his. In his explanation, Stitch had kept quiet about the secret of the hidden spot they had found together. While Lilo kept back how much she actually ended up talking about Stitch on her own date. Both of them could feel slight sadness at hearing the other talk about their date, but both tried not to think about it. Instead, they were happy for each other, thinking they truly couldn't be happier.

**Present Day**

Another day had passed, and still no improvement had been made. It really could have been a week, or maybe only a few hours. Time seemed to pass differently to Stitch. Each second was no longer measured by the ticking of the clock. Now it was ruled by the beeping of a heart monitor. Each beat, each beep, each second. Every moment drilled deeper and deeper into Stitch. He would give anything for it to be him on the table instead of her. To trade places with the one he loved. Jumba started to return more frequently, no longer did he sigh when no cure or change had been found. Instead, the dread held over him like the dark clouds from the dreadful day.

"Gaba youga mean there isa naga to do?!" Stitch yelled out when Jumba once again told him he had found nothing.

"I am being sorry, 626." Jumba told him sternly. "Nothing will stop me from finding what the problem is. But for now, there is still nothing I can be doing."

"Youga made me! Youga made all the cousins!" Stitch felt the sadness begin to take over him, turning into anger. Anger he couldn't direct at anyone but his creator. "Youga fixed meega's glitch… Why can't youga fix Lilo?" The tears started like a dam had been broken. The entire time he had been by Lilo's side he didn't cry once. Even though he felt sad, they wouldn't come. Now, every tear that refused to fall flowed freely.

Jumba stood and watched his greatest creation weep before him. Fall to the floor, begging for him to give an answer to what could be done. "You're wrong. I may have been able to create you, but I never did fix your glitch."

"Huh?"

"I do not know what had brought you back. Perhaps it was just being luck. Maybe little girl was right about love being able to conquer anything, even death." Jumba turned away, old feels of failure flowing through him again. "I may have failed that day… But I refuse to lose now."

Jumba didn't say another word as he left the lab. Stitch kneeled on the cold metal floor, watching his hands shake from supporting his own weight. _He never fixed me? I should be dead?_ Stitch didn't know that Jumba had failed all those years ago, he had always believed that his glitch was fixed by that pod. _Love is more powerful than death…huh…_

Stitch stood, wiping the tears from his face. He returned to Lilo's side, seeing that her lips were parted slightly. Wishing he could turn them into a smile, he lightly pressed his own lips against them. What used to be warm, now felt slightly cool.

"Youga not dead." Stitch whispered as he pulled away from her. He took her hand into his once again, petting the top of it slowly. "Isa meega's love just not strong enough?"

Lilo had heard every word spoken between Jumba and Stitch. She had hoped Stitch would never have to know he had actually died for a short time that day. She wish she could tell him that all was going to be okay. She wished for many things, not knowing if any of them would come true. _Your love is stronger than anything, Stitch. Please don't give up. I won't give up. I love you._


End file.
